What is the best indie album of the 2000s?
The 2000s saw indie music explode from message boards to the mainstream — orchestral post-rock, blog-era guitar bands, folk revival, and experimental pop all jostled for dominance. Which record defined the decade for you? Cast your vote!
Funeral
Arcade Fire's 2004 debut, an expansive orchestral indie rock album about loss and community that launched a generation of epic indie bands.
Is This It
The Strokes' 2001 debut that reinvigorated rock music with a razor-tight, New York cool aesthetic.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Wilco's 2002 art-rock landmark, famously rejected by its label before becoming one of the most acclaimed albums of the decade.
Turn on the Bright Lights
Interpol's 2002 brooding post-punk debut, one of the definitive records of the early 2000s NYC scene.
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem's 2007 masterwork merging dance-punk, emotional sincerity, and disco.
Illinois
Sufjan Stevens' 2005 sprawling concept album about the state of Illinois, blending chamber pop and folk with orchestral ambition.
Transatlanticism
Death Cab for Cutie's 2003 emotional breakthrough, beloved by a generation of indie fans for its heartfelt lyricism.
You Forgot It in People
Broken Social Scene's 2002 Canadian indie rock masterpiece, a sprawling collective effort with an extraordinary sense of warmth.
Alligator
The National's 2005 breakthrough record, bringing literate post-punk to a wider audience.
Apologies to the Queen Mary
Wolf Parade's 2005 debut, produced by Isaac Brock, a vital piece of the mid-2000s indie rock renaissance.
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective's 2009 psychedelic pop landmark, beloved for its euphoric emotional textures.
Boxer
The National's 2007 melancholic indie rock album, a landmark of articulate emotional songwriting.
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend's 2008 self-titled debut, blending Afropop rhythms with Ivy League indie pop for an immediately distinctive sound.
Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes' 2008 debut, a lush pastoral folk album of layered harmonies that announced a new era in indie folk.
I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
Bright Eyes' 2005 alt-country/folk album, Conor Oberst's most cohesive and emotionally direct statement.
Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Modest Mouse's 2004 major-label breakthrough featuring 'Float On,' the perfect indie crossover hit.
Silent Alarm
Bloc Party's 2005 debut, a post-punk revival record that defined UK indie's angular sound of the era.
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